Merchants sell goods and services (collectively referred to herein as “products”) to consumers. The merchants can often control the form of their product offers, the timing of their product offers, and the price at which the products will be offered. The merchant may sell products at a brick-and-mortar sales location, a virtual online site, or both.
Advances in security and accessibility have led to users becoming increasingly comfortable with purchasing products online. By patronizing online retailers, users may make purchasing decisions from the comfort of their own home or office, without the need to physically visit a brick and mortar store. However, brick and mortar stores still offer some advantages over online retailers, particularly with respect to the ability to service the needs of last minute shoppers, as online retailers generally require time to process orders and to pack and ship the product. Since a substantial amount of business derives from these last minute shoppers, online retailers have noted that the ability to provide more robust shipping and delivery options results in a corresponding increase in revenue.
However, advances in the shipping and product supply chain can only go so far to close the gap between online retailers and brick and mortar stores. A substantial amount of shopping often occurs on the day before or the day of gifting days. For example, Christmas Eve is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Same day delivery is not widely available and most delivery services do not operate on holidays, meaning that shoppers have few online options if they wish to be able to present a gift on the holiday. Similar concerns may exist for other dates, such as birthdays, graduation dates, weddings, and the like. Last minute shoppers typically resort to brick and mortar stores for these occasions rather than risk having no gift to present on the important date.